A Combined Disk Test for Direct Differentiation of Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae in Surveillance Rectal Swabs

Carbapenemase-producing Enterobacteriaceae (CPE) are rapidly spreading worldwide. Early detection of fecal CPE carriers is essential for effective infection control. Here, we evaluated the performance of a meropenem combined disk test (CDT) for rapidly differentiating CPE isolates directly from rectal swabs. The screening method was applied for 189 rectal swabs from hospitalized patients at high risk for CPE carriage. Swabs were suspended in 1 ml saline and cultured for confluent growth onto a MacConkey agar plate with a meropenem (MER) disk alone, a MER disk plus phenyl boronic acid (PBA), a MER disk plus EDTA, and a MER disk plus PBA and EDTA. An inhibition zone of <= 25 mm around the MER disk alone indicated carriage of carbapenem-resistant organisms. Furthermore, >= 5-mm differences in the inhibition zone between MER disks without and with the inhibitors (PBA, EDTA, or both) were considered positive results for detecting Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC), metallo-beta-lactamase (MBL), or both carbapenemases, respectively. For comparison, rectal suspensions were tested using MacConkey plates with ertapenem (MacERT) disks and PCR (PCR-S) for carbapenemase genes. Of the 189 samples, 97 were genotypically confirmed as CPE positive by one of the three protocols tested. The CDT, MacERT disks, and PCR-S assays exhibited sensitivities of 94.8%, 96.9%, and 94.8% and specificities of 100%, 98.9%, and 100%, respectively, for detecting CPE-positive swabs. Moreover, the CDT correctly differentiated the production of KPC, MBL, or both carbapenemases in 78 of the 97 (80.4%) CPE-positive rectal swabs. Our results demonstrate that the CDT may provide a simple and inexpensive method for detecting and differentiating the carbapenemase type within a single day without requiring further testing and additional delay, supporting the timely implementation of infection control measures

Evaluation of Boronic Acid Disk Tests for Differentiating KPC-Possessing Klebsiella pneumoniae Isolates in the Clinical Laboratory▿

The worldwide increase in the occurrence and dissemination of KPC β-lactamases among gram-negative pathogens makes critical the early detection of these enzymes. Boronic acid disk tests using different antibiotic substrates were evaluated for detection of KPC-possessing Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates. A total of 57 genotypically confirmed KPC-possessing K. pneumoniae isolates with varying carbapenem MICs were examined. To measure the specificity of the tests, 106 non-KPC-possessing isolates (89 K. pneumoniae and 17 Escherichia coli isolates) were randomly selected among those exhibiting reduced susceptibility to cefoxitin, expanded-spectrum cephalosporins, or carbapenems. As many as 56, 53, and 40 of the non-KPC-possessing isolates harbored extended-spectrum β-lactamases, metallo-β-lactamases, and plasmid-mediated AmpC β-lactamases, respectively. By use of CLSI methodology and disks containing imipenem, meropenem, or cefepime, either alone or in combination with 400 μg of boronic acid, all 57 KPC producers gave positive results (sensitivity, 100%) whereas all 106 non-KPC producers were negative (specificity, 100%). The meropenem duplicate disk with or without boronic acid demonstrated the largest differences in inhibition zone diameters between KPC producers and non-KPC producers. By use of disks containing ertapenem, all isolates were correctly differentiated except for five AmpC producers that gave false-positive results (sensitivity, 100%; specificity, 95.3%). These practical and simple boronic acid disk tests promise to be very helpful for the accurate differentiation of KPC-possessing K. pneumoniae isolates, even in regions where different broad-spectrum β-lactamases are widespread

Risk Factors and Outcomes Associated with Acquisition of Colistin-Resistant KPC-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae: a Matched Case-Control Study▿

A matched 1:3 case-control study investigated factors predicting colistin-resistant versus colistin-susceptible KPC-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae acquisition and its impact on patient outcomes. Case patients were more often admitted from other institutions (P = 0.019) and had longer therapy with β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitors (P = 0.002) and higher overall mortality (P = 0.05). All 52 study isolates were clonally related, suggesting horizontal dissemination. None of these parameters independently predicted colistin resistance, which probably occurred in a susceptible KPC-KP strain that was subsequently disseminated horizontally

Use of Boronic Acid Disk Tests To Detect Extended- Spectrum β-Lactamases in Clinical Isolates of KPC Carbapenemase-Possessing Enterobacteriaceae▿

We evaluated boronic acid (BA)-based methods for their ability to detect extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) among clinical isolates of KPC-producing members of the Enterobacteriaceae family. A total of 155 isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 141), Escherichia coli (n = 6), Enterobacter aerogenes (n = 6), and Klebsiella oxytoca (n = 2) genotypically confirmed to be KPC producers were analyzed. As many as 118 isolates harbored ESBLs (103 harbored SHV-type ESBLs, 13 harbored CTX-M-type ESBLs, and 2 harbored both SHV- and CTX-M-type ESBLs); the remaining 37 isolates were genotypically negative for ESBL production. The CLSI ESBL confirmatory test was positive for 79 of the 118 ESBL producers (sensitivity, 66.9%), while all 37 non-ESBL producers were negative (specificity, 100%). When a ≥5-mm increase in the zone diameter of either the cefotaxime (CTX)-clavulanate (CA) or the ceftazidime (CAZ)-CA disks containing BA compared with the zone diameter of the CTX or CAZ disks containing BA was considered to be a positive result for ESBL production, the method detected all 118 ESBL producers (sensitivity, 100%) and showed no false-positive results for non-ESBL producers (specificity, 100%). Double-disk synergy tests, in which disks of CTX, CAZ, aztreonam, or cefepime in combination with BA were placed at distances of 20, 25, and 30 mm (center to center) from a disk containing amoxicillin (amoxicilline)-clavulanate-BA, were able to detect 116 (98.3%), 101 (85.6%), and 28 (23.7%) of the ESBL-positive isolates, respectively; no false-positive results for non-ESBL-producing isolates were detected. Our results demonstrate that the modified CLSI ESBL confirmatory test with antibiotic disks containing BA is the most accurate phenotypic method for the detection of ESBLs in Enterobacteriaceae producing KPC carbapenemases

Linezolid Dependence in Staphylococcus epidermidis Bloodstream Isolates

We document linezolid dependence among 5 highly linezolid-resistant (LRSE) Staphylococcus epidermidis bloodstream isolates that grew substantially faster at 32 mu g/mL linezolid presence. These isolates carried the mutations T2504A and C2534T in multiple 23S rRNA copies and 2 mutations leading to relevant amino acid substitutions in L3 protein. Linezolid dependence could account for increasing LRSE emergence